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Tilt problems

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BLACKHAWK AUTO

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I HAVE AN '89 FORCE SETUP, I HAVE TILT PROBLEMS, THE TILT CYLS WON'T STAY IN THE UP POSITION.
I HAVE PERFORMED THE APPROPRIATE LEAK DOWN TESTS AS PRESCRIBED IN THE MANUAL, AND HAVE NO
LEAK DOWN IN EITHER TEST, THE RELAYS ARE NEW, THE FLUID IS FULL, YET, THE TILT CYLINDERS STILL LEAK
DOWN. I SUSPECT THE VALVE BODY TO BE AT FAULT, BUT THE MANUAL SAID TO REPLACE THE TRIM CYL. I'M NOT
SURE I BUY THAT. CAN ANY ONE HELP WITH ADVISE AND, PERHAPS PARTS?
CHRIS, aka BLACKHAWK AUTO
 
lift it up & block in place. disconnect oil line that goes to bottom of tilt ram and plug up using std 3/16" brake fittings from NAPA. remove blocks andf see if engine drops. if it drops then ram is bad. if it doesn't drop then valve body is bad.
 
THANKS JERRYJ, AND rritt, i did perform the test step you outlined, the tilt rams, did not leak down, i performed a further test as outlined in the manual.
the result was the same, no bleed down. the manual instructs to replace the trim cylinder as a fix. I'm not buying that. all the check balls, springs and "O" rings
are contained in the valve body under pump motor. I've been fixing stuff for more years than i care to admit, but, in my head, all of the mechanisms needed for
proper operation are located in the valve body. furthermore, the hydrolic schematic does not support that fix, lacking the check balls and springs to obtain a closed
system on full tilt. so in my thinking, the valve body is in need of overhaul or replacement. so far i have had no luck finding the replacement valve body, and only
repair parts for mercury, which are similar what i have. any more advise or ideas would be welcomed at this end. thanks again, Chris, AKA Blackhawk Auto
 
My 2 cents.....
Mine was leaking down from the raised position. Sent the valve body to RRitt. He rebuilt it. No more leakdown, works as good as new.......
 
blackhawk - rams last about 30 years. you don't rebuild them because the leak down. you rebuild them because the top seals start letting water in and you don't want your system to go FUBAR. bleed down is always either the valve body or a FUBAR tilt ram. you can buy chinese vavle body for $90-$150 off ebay or amazon. There is only one factory making only one model. If you can buy it for under $200 then it is the exact same part (and crummy quality). Ebasic power used to sell a mallory for $230. It is the only new one of decent quality from any vendor at any price. If your engine is 70HP or less then the chinese should do you just fine. If your engine is bigger then the chinese is adequate - just don't expect it to work perfect or last a long time. I rebuild them, but I'm backed up with summer rush and your boat would be out of service for couple weeks.

My best advice is learn to live with it until the off-season. the chinese VB is cr@p and should be avoided if you can. The exact same taiwan factory also builds trim motors. the motors are pretty good. they need some minor reinforcement with waterproofing but are fundamentally sound. I recently came across a sealing tape used by cable TV comapnies for outdoor fittings. I'm not sure how it holds up with time but it has awesome potential for adding years onto the lifespan of a new budget trim motor.
 
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